Clutch for power transmission



Jan. 11, 1927. 1,614,370

J. KUB''CEK CLUTCH FOR POWER TRANSMISSION Filed April 2, 1926 ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE@ CLUTCH FOR POWER TRANSMISSION.

Application led ApriI 2', 1926. Serial No. 99,348.

This invention relates to a slip clutch for the transmission of power.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple economically constructed and assembled mechanism whereby in the driving of one element by another a clutch disposed therebetween will slip when more than a predetermined amount of resistance is offered by the driven element or when more than a given amount of power is applied by the driving element.

A further object resides in the provision of means whereby the parts are few in num ber, economical to manufacture, simple to assemble and disassemble and very little liable to wear unduly.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section through the clutch showing the device attached to a casing containing a spring motor which is to be wound up;

Figure 2 is a .section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the device showing the parts in position in which the clutch is disengaged;

'Figure 4 is a side elevation of the device showing it connected to a switch controlling an electrical circuit.

The form of the invention shown -in'the drawings is a preferred form, although 1t is understood that modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth inthe appended claims.

In its general aspect the invention com prises a driving element and a driven element. One of said elements is provided with a hollow chamber into which project a plurality of pins adapted to engage with portions of the other element. The other element is generally in the form of a disk provided with sl-ots having inclined walls in which slots the above mentioned pins lie. As one element is vrotated it will, through the engagement of the pins and the slots, drive the other element. A spring or similar member is disposed between the two elements and is adjusted to hold'them in normal position wherein the pins and slots engage. Vhen, however, an undue amount of power is applied or an undue amount of resistance is encountered, this power or resistance will cause the pins and the slots to move relatively to each other and become disengaged, causing a relative movement between the driving and the driven members- This relative movement will cause a compression of the spring, which as soon as the imbalance of power or resistance is removed will cause the parts to mov-e back into their operative normal relation.

A further idea involved in the invention is to connect the circuit controlling switch with one of said elements so that as therelative movement takes place and the clutch is disengaged, the driving motor energized through said circuit will be cut out so any other circuit condition may thus be controlled through the intermediary of saidV switch.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings I show a ca'sing 1() within which is disposed a spring motor, not shown. The purpose of the invention as thus shown is to wind up the spring motor. A shaft 11 extends into the casing and is connected to the spring motor. This shaft has on its out-er end a cup-shaped member 12 having a chamber 13 therein. A plurality of pins 14 are mounted in the walls of the chamber preferably by being threadably engaged therein and depend into the chamber 13. The outer end of the chamber is threaded to receive a cap 15 having a bore 16 which acts as a seat or bearing for a driving shaft 17, which extends into the chamber 13. The end of the driving shaft is provided with a disk 18 which is provided onv its periphery with a plurality of slots 19 having sloping walls such as 2() and 21. Back of the disk 18 and surrounding the shaft 17 is a spacing sleeve 22, which as shown in Figure 1, will hold the disk in the chamber 13 in such a position that the slots 19 will be in line with the pins 14, these pins being adapted to lie in said sl-ots under the normal operation of the device, so that as the element 12 or shaft 17 is rotated the one will drive the other through the engagement of the pins and the slots.

The shaft 17 is provided with avthreaded bore 23 in which the plug 24 is threadably and adjustably mounted. A spring 25 is disposed at one end in a recess 26 in the element 12 and at the other end extends into the bore 23. This end of the spring 25 bears against a piece of metal 27, preferably brass, which is (lll loosely disposed between the spring `and the plug so as to reduce the friction'between the spring and the plug.

In the normal operationofthedevice vwith the parts shown as in Figure 1, rotation of either the casing 12 or the shaft 17`will cause the engagement of the pins and slots, which will effect the transmission "of ypower. ssuming that the shaft 17 is driving andthe casing 12 is being driven, 'when the 'spring motor is sufficiently Wound up it will offer resistance to further movementandthis resistance will be transmitted to the pins 111. This resistance, therefore,'will eventually be come strong enough to cause the pins to slide along'the sloping walls of the slots and force the disk 18 forward to th`e"position shown in Figure 3 against the pressure of spring Q5, which will be compressed. Therefore inthis latter position further movement of the shaft 17 will not effect any movement of casing 12. As the disk is rotated, however, and the slots become alined successfully with the`pins,`the spring will tend to force Vthe shaft and the disk back to normal position, but this tendency will be overcome as long as the resistance offered by the driven motor or the driven object is above the predetermined value. When this resistance gets below a' predetermined value, which is measured by the amount'of normal compression of the spring 25, then re-engagement will take place.

In' some instances it is desirable to "connect aV switch'28 to a collar 29 ontlie shaft 17. rThis switch, swingable between cont-acts 3() and 31,is connected to suitable Circuit wires for the purpose of alteringtthe condition of the circuit, which may containa driving motor connected Vto the shaft 17 and also'may contain other apparatus to'be `controlled in accordance with the condition of the clutching element.

It will be obvious, therefore, that`this device is extremely simple, efficient, composed of a minimum number of parts, vwhich are easily assembled and disassembled for 'adjustment and repair.

I claim: 1

1. A clutch for transn'iission of power which comprises a 'driving and a driven member shiftable 'relatively to neanther, radial pins fixed to one member, slopingwalled slots on the other "members whose slope is in the directionv of shifting movement of said member-,said 'pins and vslots normally engaging, said pinsfand'slots-fo1ming the only connection for the transmission of rpower between said members, and means tending to'hold said'members 1n their lnormal position.

`said Aslots, a Ymember housing said disk and supporting said pins, a member supporting said disk'in shiftable'r'elation to'tlieother'of said members, means for normally holding the pins and slotsinoperative'relation'and means fer adjustingsaid'last/named means.

A clutch for transmission of power which comprises a 'disk having slopingwallcdslots in its periphery a Dplurality of pins normally projecting radially of thc disk and within said slots, a membersupporting said pins, `a meniber supporting said disk and movable relatively tothe other of said members in'the direction of slope of said slots, and means' engaging the disk tending to hold 'it in v"operative normal relation with the pins, Vsaid 'pin supporting member` housing and protecting said disk.

1t. A "clutch for itransmission lof power which comprises a hollow shaft, a disk thereon, having'sloping walled slots on its peripl'ie'ry, said shaft having a threaded bore, a plug adjustably "mounted inthe bore, a spring having one end'associated with the plug, a support "against 'which the other end of the spring bears, andpins associatedwith said'suppo'rt and normally vdisposed in said slots.

5. A clutch for 'transmission 'of vpower which comprises a driving member, a driven member, a cup-shaped casing on one member, pinsin the walls of the vcasing and 'dependent intoV the cup, a ldisk on the other'mem ber and lying slidably'in the cup, said disk having sloping wall slots'in which the pins normally lie and means tending to hold them in this normal relation. l

y6. A clutch for transmission of power which comprises a shaft, a cup-shaped casing on the end ofthe shaft, adjustable pins in the walls of thefcasing and dependent into the cup, asecond shaftextentlin'g into the open endf'of'the cup, a disk on theend of the second shaft, 'said disk having slopingwalled slots in its periphery, in'which the pins normally'lie, a' caponthe casing acting as a. 'bearing'for the second shaft,- a spring extending between the bottom of the cup 'and the second shaft-'to `hold `the deskand the pinsin normal operative relation.

JOHNKUBIGK. 

